A Groom’s Tale – Part II

SmartPak photo shoots are a lot of fun, but they’re also a lot of work. The preparation starts weeks in advance, the expectations are high and the timing is tight. From the minute we step out of our cars, the entire team is going full throttle, and no one stops until the job is done.

Grooming for photo shoots is a lot like grooming for horse shows – you want the horse to look his absolute best, but you’re not sure exactly how much time you have. Since photo shoots, like show ring schedules, can be unpredictable at best, I’ve developed a sort of grooming hierarchy. It’s a progression through the stages of grooming that ensures that no matter when my horse is called on, he’s presentable at worst and stunning at best.

I’ve broken down the steps I use to turn a muddy horse into a cover model (the pictures I’ve included are just a few of our recent stars.) Since I’ve used just about every brush, spray and polish we carry, I thought I’d share some of my personal favorite grooming products along the way!

Grooming for the Picture-Perfect Look

#1: Clip it, clip it good

I always start with clipping so that I have plenty of time. Rushing means mistakes, and take it from me, clipping mistakes can be really, really unfortunate (ever seen a horse without eyelashes? Not cute.)

My absolute favorite clippers are the Andis AGC Super 2 Speed Clippers. I love them because they’re versatile – the T-84 blade can handle a full-body clipping, or you can swap in a 5, 10, 30 or 40 blade to get as close as you want to go (for goodness sakes, don’t use 40s unless you’ve got a really steady hand and you know the horse well! No one likes the naked mole rat look.) These clippers also work with most Oster slide-on blades, which are some of the most common blades on-hand in tack shops and even pet stores, if you’re in a pinch. Since I clip a lot, I have multiple blades in every size so that I can swap them out as they get too hot.
I could literally write an entire article about my clipping process (and I will, but not today!) For the sake of time and space, I’ll simply say that I clip the muzzle, inside the nostrils, under the chin, the bridle path, the ears, the fetlocks and any hairs growing below the coronet band on to the hoof. I always check with the owner before clipping the “eye whiskers” – those long, “feeler” hairs that grow above and below the eye. Some owners clip them regularly and some owners absolutely never clip them, it’s just a matter of personal taste.

#2: Soak it up

I like to let my conditioner/detangler “soak” in the horse’s tail for a few minutes before I start brushing. I think it softens the tail a little bit and helps prevent breakage. It also gives the spray more time to dry, so my horse doesn’t go in front of the camera or into the ring with the not-so-flattering “wet look.” As soon as I’m finished clipping, I spray Canter Silk Mane & Tail Conditioner over the entire tail, especially inside and at the roots. I quickly work it in with my hands and save the brushing for later.

#3: Clean sweep

While the conditioner sits, I move on to the overall body grooming. When it comes to drudging up dirt and loose hair, nothing beats a basic Curry Comb. For the head and legs, I love the flexible fingers of the Soft Rubber Face Curry; the horses love it, too! I use a medium-sized circular motion and a decent amount of pressure to really work the coat. Once I’ve gotten everything to the surface, I grab my Flick Poly Brush and with just a flick of my wrist, dirt, dust and loose hair are gone.

#4: Hoofin’ it

Even the fastest-drying hoof polish needs a few minutes to set, so I don’t want to leave the hooves for last. At the same time, I don’t want to polish my horse’s hooves to perfection only to cover them in the dust, dirt and hair I’m fastidiously flicking from his coat. So, between the hard brush and the soft brush, I focus on the feet.

I start by picking out all four feet and brushing off the heels and hoof walls, so I prefer a hoof pick with a brush. Then I dab on my favorite hoof polish, Absorbine’s SuperShine. I usually use clear for the photo shoots because we want a more natural look, but you can opt for black for a more dramatic effect. (If you’re using black, place your horse’s hoof on a scrap piece of cardboard so you don’t stain the barn aisle!)

I don’t like to guess where my applicator is going, and I don’t like putting myself directly in front of the horse (getting kneed in the head is less than awesome), so I usually polish the outer two-thirds of the near hoof and the inner one-third of the far hoof, then switch sides. I use the applicator to run a ring around the hoof, just below the coronet band, but not touching the hair, then work downwards to coat the entire hoof wall. Now that the applicator isn’t so full of polish, I can carefully blend my first “swipe” upwards to meet my nicely clipped hairline at the coronet band. (Again, if you’re using black, be extra careful – even the slightest touch can cause the black polish to bleed up into the hair.)

#5: Shine on

With the hooves polished to perfection, it’s back to the coat. Most of the hard work has already been done with the curry and hard brush, so I just grab my spray bottle for a quick once-over. My all-time favorite spray is Pepi Coat Conditioner – it goes on so light and easy, and it smells amazing! But some horses are skittish about the aerosol spray, so I always have a bottle of Show Sheen on hand as well. Whatever spray you use, it’s important to use it well. Make sure it’s on the mist setting (seriously, why is there any other setting available? In what instance am I going to need to blast my horse with a jet stream of shine spray!?) Next, consider your aim. I don’t like spraying directly onto the horse’s coat because unpredictable spray nozzles can result in uneven patterns, wet spots and streaks. I aim slightly up and off to the side and let the spray “rain” down on the horse. I spray all over the body and legs then gently smooth the coat with a towel or a soft brush.

#6: Tail time

Unless your horse is genetically blessed, you probably wish his tail was thicker, so it’s really important to do as little “damage” as possible when you’re brushing it out. Before I start brushing, I give a quick once-over with Show Sheen for a little extra “glide.” (But don’t go overboard, you can go from “just right” to “drowning” in just a few quick sprays.)

To brush the tail, I separate it into small sections, working each one from top to bottom before combining them all back together. This lets me be more gentle and precise when working through knots. I like to use really long-toothed combs, like the ones you can find in the beauty section at the drugstore. I like these because they’re cheap and they let me pick through the tail carefully, pulling out shavings and working through tangles. Just before I’m done, I run my fingers through the tail to loosen it up and shake it out for a fuller, more natural look.

#7: About face

Silverado Face GloSOLD OUT(8 reviews)

With the tail tidied up, I turn my attention to the much more adorable side of the horse, his face! Just like with the hooves and coat, I don’t want to shine something that’s not quite clean, so I grab a few baby wipes and wipe any dust, gook or boogers away from his eyes, nose and the insides of his ears. Then I grab what might be the best-smelling product ever invented, Face Glo. As long as you use it sparingly, Face Glo, or any highlighter, can subtly enhance your horse’s overall appearance.

Since it’s a little bit goopy, it’s important to keep the highlighter out of the hair. Just like with hoof polish, it’s all about blending carefully. I start by rubbing it into the muzzle from the nostrils down to the tip, staying well away from the hair. Once the majority of the highlighter is off my hands and onto his nose, I use my fingertips to carefully cover the upper areas of skin on the muzzle, working towards (but not touching!) the hairline. Next up are the eyes. With just a dab of highlighter on the tip of my finger, I apply a thin line just below the horse’s lower lashes, (think: eyeliner). Up top I smooth a thin coat of highlighter all over the eyelid, (think: eye shadow), being careful not to get the highlighter in the eyelashes – no one likes having goopy “mascara.” Finally, I coat the insides of the ears with highlighter to get rid of that scaly, flaky look. When doing the ears, it’s especially important not to get highlighter on the backs of the ears by accident (I find it helpful to have one “clean” hand and one “goopy” hand.)

Once everything is “shined up”, I take a clean, dry cloth and gently pat down all the highlighted areas, to give a little bit of a matte effect. (If you’re showing in AQHA halter shows, you may want to go ahead and leave it as shiny as it can be!)

#8: Finishing touches

Ultra Hoof EnhancerSOLD OUT(8 reviews)

Just before I head out to meet the photographer or the judge, there are a few last-minute things I do to complete my horse’s look. For the ultimate shine on his hooves, I spray on the super-fast-drying Ultra Hoof Enhancer. At this point, it’s getting down to the wire and I’m usually in a rush, so I love that I don’t have to be meticulous about the application – it’s clear and very light, so if you get a little on his hair, there’s nothing to fret about!

As a very last step, I do a quick once-over with a clean, dry towel to get rid of any dust that has settled on the coat conditioner. And just like that, I’ve got the perfect show-ring shine!

While I’m sure this isn’t a “one size fits all” show-day grooming routine, it’s worked really well for me, and I hope you were able to find few helpful hints that you’ll add to your bag of tricks. Speaking of which, I would love to hear from you! Do you have any grooming tips or products you just can’t live without? Leave a comment (or a question!) here on the blog – I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks and happy grooming!

[Ed. note: If you missed Part I of this groom’s tale, you can check it out here.]

Sarah Paull is a lifelong rider and SmartPak’s Brand Manager. You may know her better as the life-size foam finger from the London Olympics, the host of USEF Network’s Live from London coverage, or “that girl from the Stuff Riders Say videos.” Prior to joining SmartPak in 2008, Sarah worked as a Veterinary Technician at B.W. Furlong & Associates in Oldwick, NJ, and obtained her degree in Equine Science from Centenary College. Sarah is the proud mom of Cody, a semi-retired, 23-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, and she’s currently looking for an eventing partner to help her get rid of all the extra time, money and energy she doesn’t actually have :-) If you're interested in her often-horsey, always-odd musings, follow @SmartPakerSarah on Twitter.

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8 comments on “A Groom’s Tale – Part II”

If it’s warm weather, I give my horse a bath a week before the show and either the day before, or morning of the show. It makes it so much easier to not have to do the ‘super-scrub-every-inch-of-you’ in one sitting.

The bottle I can’t do without when bathing? Quicksilver Whitening Shampoo! I love that stuff! My horses do too, since it means they get a ten minute break to eat grass while it’s ‘whitening.'(Beware though, it WILL turn your finger nails and palms a faint purple…)

Shapley’s Show Touch Up is another item I love. It comes in just about every color imaginable. It works great on manes and tails as well. They look significantly fuller with the white. (Not sure if the other colors do that too.) It can completely cover any last minutes stains that I don’t have time to wash out. It’s also great for winter parades when I can’t give my horse a bath because it’s too cold! (I don’t have hot water in the barn…) Spray it on… and nobody knows I didn’t give my horse a bath

The last item I can’t live without is Absorbine’s Miracle Groom ‘Bath in a Bottle’. A bottle of that and a few clean wash clothes and my horse looks like I spent hours grooming and cleaning him. It’s great for winter. It smells great too. It also makes their coats silky smooth. My horses seem to appreciate that they don’t have to get hosed in November when it’s freezing.

In addition to some of the ones you mentioned, my favorite grooming aid: Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle! I go over the entire coat with it as my horse is drying from his bath, or right after a good grooming, and then rub/wipe with a clean towel. It removes and repels dust that may otherwise accumulate on the coat in the trailer or ringside.

I do use the stream setting on Show Sheen on the sad occasion of a big “rat’s nest” knot in a tail. It gets the spray into the center of the mess and it helps with salvaging what you can of the situation. We have a breeding farm and I do like to send visiting mares home nicely groomed as well as in foal, but you wouldn’t believe what some of their tails are like!

I have been blessed (or cursed!) with a big, grey mare who loves mud puddles. The best product I’ve found to make her shine is a good bar of soap followed by rinsing her with vinegar. Never found anything that makes her shine better! But I do really like Showclean shampoo for her mane, tail, and legs (it just gets a little expensive).

I have Spanish horses and don’t like to use Showsheen in their manes and tails. We braid their manes to promote growth and I found when I put showsheen on their manes the hair breaks off where the rubber band is stationed. I imagine this could happen to the coat as well. Instead I use cowboy magic detangler on the light horses and Silverado on the dark horses due to its UVA/UVB protectant to help resist bleaching and with both products I haven’t had a problem with breakage. I also use the Cowboy magic superbody shine and green spot remover- they really work!

Hi
I love all your grooming tips and hearing about the ‘behind the scenes’ activity. I would also love any photography tips. Thankfully with a digital camera, i can and have taken hundreds of photos of my horse and i have yet to capture a great shot. I never seem to get the right angle. Thanks

I use Eqyss’ Premier Rehydrant spray after every grooming- it keeps the dust down, and protects my light chestnut from bleaching out. I use Walgreen’s Anti-Dandruff shampoo on the body and 1st wash of the tail, which cuts through ALL of the dirt, without stripping the oils. After a thorough grooming with CLEAN brushes, I go over the entire coat with the Eqyss spray and a sheepskin mitt. The mitt works the spray into the coat, and cleanly absorbs any remaining dust. I use Quicksilver purple shampoo on the platinum-flaxen tail and 4 white socks- beware, it really does stain, so don’t let it sit for too long!!! Found out the hard way that a once-white, now-purple horse leaves the WRONG impression with judges… Cowboy Magic detangler is the only thing I ever use, on the rare occasions that the tails get anything more than a shaking out. I am obsessive about my horses’ tails, and now have the best in the barn. 😉

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